Category: Tuition

History of the Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band – Part 2

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In 1925 contests took place at Grangemouth, Kirkcaldy, Bathgate, Dundee, Leith and Markinch, with the Clan MacRae continuing their successes. The most significant result for P/M Willie Fergusson (left) and the band was at Cowal, where they emerged as World Champions, winning the Argyll Shield ahead of their 1924 rivals, Millhall, with MacLean third and the 7th HLI fourth. Although the band did not repeat their Cowal World Championship win…

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Mike Grey and the 78th Fraser Highlanders/ 100 Pipers Pipe Band – Even More Info

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In a very positive move for Ontario pipe bands, Mike Grey has agreed to take on the job of Pipe Major of the 78th Fraser Highlanders band. We asked Mike to give us a few words on his new job. Would he be staying on as President of the Pipers and Pipe Band Association of Ontario? We also wondered if top piper Sean MacKeown was joining his friend Ian K…

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‘Pibroch by the Sea’ – A Unique Piping Experience on the Breton Coast of France

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Well I’m pretty sure the weekend we’ve just experienced is unique in the piping world. It begins when you are welcomed off the ferry at St Malo by a piper. The place is Brittany in west France. We are here for the annual ‘Pibroch au Bord de la Mer’, piobaireachd by the sea, event. The setting is Cancale, the village from where Louis XIV sourced his oysters, but which is…

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The History of the Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band – Part 1

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Farquhar MacRae (1859-1916), winner of the Gold Medal in 1898, was a member of the (Blythswood) Highland Light Infantry (3rd Volunteer Battalion HLI) from the 1880s and for many years thereafter he was pipe major.  Towards the end of 1908 this battalion was renumbered, becoming the 7th Volunteer Battalion HLI.  That year, at Cowal Games his band placed fifth in the Argyll Shield Open Competition (World Championship), just one example…

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Review: The Northern Meeting 2023

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All the excitement of top class piping competition was contained neatly in Eden Court Theatre and its environs for the 2023 Northern Meeting. The NM committee and staff could not have been more welcoming, putting nervous pipers, inquisitive visitors, doddery judges at their ease the moment they stepped through the theatre’s glass doored maw. The bar prices were reasonable too so people were more inclined to hang around chatting in…

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